Owning our time

By the way, I hope you’re not a charity viewer. What’s that? A person that goes to different channels and says “Oh no, so little views. Let me just give a view.” Lol I hope you read my blogposts because they add actual value to your life.

Anyway…

Do you own your time?

What is the cost of our time? Doesn’t giving our time away to things that aren’t so meaningful keep us sane? Doesn’t constant activity keep us from flying too close to the sun?

Look at those whose prosperity men flock to behold; they are smothered by their blessings. To how many are riches a burden! From how many do eloquence and the daily straining to display their powers draw forth blood! How many are pale from constant pleasures! To how many does the throng of clients that crowd about them leave no freedom! – Seneca

The twelve apostles of Jesus realised this when He left. They suddenly became responsible for everything. They became a government and realised they didn’t really own their time anymore. What was once a dream of theirs became a heavy burden. A dream becomes a nightmare when God, the light of our lives, is slowly removed from the equation by excessive busyness. This can happen with any dream that God has promised and given to anyone… a dream job, dream business, dream family, dream spiritual gifting, dream ministry etc. A lot of side distractions can come with those.

This is what the apostles did…

Acts 6:2-4 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

Just look at those priorities. Don’t they make you happy? 1. Prayer... 2. Serving/ministering the word. Prayer or spending time with God is the most important thing. I think that everything flows from there. It keeps righteousness from becoming self-righteousness.

I think there’s hard work that pleases God and infuriates Satan. I also think there’s hard work that God does not receive and Satan is pleased by because he’s trapped a person. That being said, I also think there’s a lack of hard work that God doesn’t receive because the gifts He’s given a person aren’t flowing to His creation. As with all things, there are extremes on both ends. But I want to focus on one extreme in this post… the hard work that God does not receive.

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works

Repentance means changing one’s mind. It means walking one way, stopping, turning around and going another way. I think “dead works” means that there are some things we do that are of 0.0000000000% significance. No significance in gaining salvation from Hell, no significance to our fellow man (though we may think the work has significance), no significance to angels etc.

That verse says that repentance (turning away) from dead works is the first principle of the kingdom. The principle of principles. Like how they started off by teaching us “A B C D…” in nursery. Without that, we couldn’t understand anything in the further stages of growth. So it is with repentance from dead works. It’s the first thing and will be found at every level.

The Jews had this obsession with doing, hard work, action… so much so that they asked Jesus this…

John 6:28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”

This is what He replied…

John 6:29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

I think that means if a person ever wants to do anything of significance, they have to start from faith in God and His Son. Faith means trust. Faith means reliance. Faith is what a blind man has in you when he asks you to help him cross a busy road. We don’t only need faith for salvation. Salvation is just the beginning of faith.

Romans 1:17 For in it (the gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

This is what Jesus told His disciples…

John 15:5-6 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned…”

Hebrews 11 is usually called the hall of faith. It lists people that trusted God in very unique ways. It mentions all sorts of actions that would last forever. Actions of faith. By faith Noah built an ark, by faith Abraham left his homeland, by faith Sarah birthed a child in old age. To bystanders, these looked like useless works but because God commissioned them, the works were of great significance.

If you read the stories of these people, you’ll find that there was always a communication from God that made it possible for there to be faith. So without a communication, there can be no faith.

Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word (rhema) of God.

That’s one of the favourite verses of the 20th century Pentecostal Movement 🔥🔥. That word rhema means... 4487 rhḗma (from 4483 /rhéō, "to speak") – a spoken word, made "by the living voice" (J. Thayer) (Courtesy of biblehub.com). So rhema means a spiritual communication.

The trouble with communication from the spirit realm is that the receiver has to have discernment to know which communication is from God and which is from Satan faking God’s voice. You could find someone seriously splitting wood, placing it together and ask them what they’re up to then they tell you God told them to build an ark because another flood is coming. What would you think about that person? No, be honest. I would think they’re missing a few marbles. Plus, there’s no argument you can give them to prove that they’re wrong lol. How do I know this? Because I’ve been there and I totally empathise.

Once upon a time, “God” communicated (I say “communicated” not “said” because it’s not only audible) to me to go buy a suit. That was during lockdown. No clothing store was open (I thought that at least one would be open). Yet I got the communication to go physically, not online. I went and looked like a fool stopping in front of like three clothing stores to check if anyone was inside. A security guard looked at me for a long time probably wondering what I was up to. Empty streets and some guy is examining clothing store interiors. It’s times like those that make me want to discard the chance of God ever speaking to me again but the truth is... I’ve had other experiences where the communication was spot on. I think that most people of faith have to live in that dilemma. I test every communication with a 15-step verification protocol these days. Why should I die young? Charismatic Christian but extra conservative.

Anyway, that guy cutting wood is what Noah looked like.

If you read the stories of the heroes in Hebrews 11, you’ll realise that it wasn’t everyday that God spoke to them. It was just once in a while. But I bet they prayed everyday. So communion leads communication. Plus, in those stories, God had to weaken the person He would use to work His works probably so all the glory of the work would go to Him e.g. God only giving Abraham and Sarah a child when they were old.

2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

When Moses was mighty at 40 years old, zealous and ready to save Israel, God didn’t say a thing, but when he was old, didn’t believe in his speaking abilities, counted himself out, God appeared. Moses’ feelings of unworthiness made him worthy. When Isaiah was in God’s realm in Isaiah 6, he said “Woe is me…” then God asked “Who shall I send?” So a broken vessel is a ready vessel.

One may ask “Why should God get the glory/praise/honour?” I’d ask in return “Why must all electric signals go to the brain?” “Why must all blood go to the heart?” They are more than capable. They are more than worthy. Signals and blood went out from them so all must return. A quadricep can’t be the centre.

All things proceeded from God.

John 1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

No other being has that life proceeding from them. Only God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Everyone else is just a reflector/glass meant to share in that light. At first, people may think that a relfector is the source but eventually they'll realize the true source.

I think that a person can only praise God in truth when they have a revelation of His character. If they’ve seen His beautiful surroundings or creation, that worship will probably last a short time because it doesn't go beyond the surface.

Exodus 33:18-19 And he [Moses] said, “Please, show me Your glory.” Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord (Yahweh) before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

Then in the next chapter God did exactly that…

Exodus 34:5-7 Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”

So we can conclude that for God, His glory is His character. His mercy and justice. Grace and truth. After God did that, Moses fell to the ground and worshipped. God's character made him fall in praise. Moses encountered God's ways and that was the basis of his praises to Him.

That's so powerful.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

For me, glory basically means praiseworthy. What makes a person worthy of praise, attention, adoration etc.

This is the first mention of the word glory (kabod) in the Bible…

Genesis 31:1 Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has acquired all this wealth (kabod).”

So for Laban’s sons, what made their father praiseworthy was his wealth. But with God, look at everything He has; the angels praising Him, the saints serving Him, the power He possesses, the creations He has created and He still says that the praiseworthy attribute is who He is. When a person gets past the actions to the Being, then I believe they will worship in spirit and truth.

God removed all that surrounded Him and came down in the form of His Son.

Isaiah 53:2 He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him.

In other words, He had nothing that most people would call glorious i.e. wealth, power, fame etc.

God manifested Exodus 34:5-7 (the scripture above) to its purest form in the first coming of His Son Jesus.

2 Corinthians 4:6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

The glory of God is what some would call the glorious-less Son of Man. Love that was abandoned to a cross. That's what God calls His glory.

Psalm 63:1-3 O God, You are my God;

Early will I seek You;

My soul thirsts for You;

My flesh longs for You

In a dry and thirsty land

Where there is no water.

So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,

To see Your power and Your glory.

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips shall praise You.

Why do you worship God (If you do)? I believe we all start with the physical things, but as one continues to worship Him for those, they’re caught into Him continuously.

In conclusion, here are some scriptures that include what I believe to be wise time management...

Acts 13:1-3 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.

I think ministering to the Lord means prayer or spending time in His presence like the first scripture in this post mentions.

Luke 1:80 So the child (John the Baptist) grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

I believe a diffusion happens between God's Spirit and a person's spirit when they spend time there; so I see that as the strength of God's Spirit being diffused to John's.

Exodus 18:13-26 And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?” And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.” So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace.” So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves.

The next chapter says this...

Exodus 19:3 And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain

I wonder if Moses would have gone up to God if his time was still so taken up by the Israelites.